Page 9 - State of Biodiversity 2019-2020

3. The Natural Environment
South Africa is the third most biodiverse country in the • world5, and Durban contains:
• Three of the country’s nine terrestrial biomes, namely Savanna, Forest and Indian Ocean Coastal
Belt •
• 11 broad nationally-recognised vegetation types.
These include: Eastern Valley Bushveld, KwaZulu- •
Natal Coastal Belt, KwaZulu-Natal Hinterland Thornveld, KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld, Ngongoni Veld, Scarp Forest, Northern Coastal • Forest, Sub-tropical Dune Thicket, Sub-tropical Seashore Vegetation, Swamp Forest and Mangroves
Over 2 200 plant species, 520 species of birds, 37 species of amphibians, 69 species of reptiles, 80 terrestrial mammal species, and 25 invertebrate species endemic to KZN6
97 kilometres of coastline with a diversity of beach types and productive rocky shores
17 river catchments and 16 estuaries • 4 000 kilometres of rivers
An open space system of approximately 95 000ha (approved by the eThekwini Council in 2017/2018), representing almost one third of Durban’s total municipal area
5. Conservation International – www.conservation.org
6. Many species’ records predate the 1990s and, as such, are not an accurate representation of current diversity.This highlights the need for more comprehensive studies of Durban’s fauna and flora.
STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2019/2020 5